Emergency closure or lock for weirs, sluice gates, and the like



May 17, 1932. FRIEDEL 1,858,664

EMERGENCY CLOSURE 0R LOOK FOR WEIRS, SLUICE GATES, AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. '7, 1956 4 fjventor Mar, M

Patented May 17, 1932 PATEN r oFr c snons FRIEIDEL, on ASGHAZFFENBUIRGQGERMANY EMERGENCY CLOSURE OR LOCK FOB WEIRS, SLUICE GATES, AND THE LIKE Application filed January 7, 1930, Serial No. 419,135, and in Germany January 8, 1929.

My invention relates to improvementsin an emergency closure or look for welrs, sluice gates and the like referred to in the followingdescription simply by the general expression weir.

To make it possible to inspect at any time the condition of weirs, it is necessary to shape the weir plant during construction in such manner that if needed, it may be provided with emergency closures or locks. Such a closure must be of simple construction and capable of appliance within the channel or river as quickly as possible and removable again quickly as well, so that any damage which may have been caused may be repaired speedily and traffic on the river or channel disturbed or interrupted only for a short time.

WVith this object in mind it has already been proposed to apply an emergency lock or closure comprising a plurality of separate so-called needles or pins bearing with their lower ends against the bottom of the weir, and leaning with their upper part against abeam or support, usually called pin support. The pin supports are provided at suitable distances with supporting trusses or pillars transmitting the pressure of the pin supports onto the weir bottom or ground.

As pins or needles for the emergency.

closure I have found it advisable to use coffer-dam iron piles, e. g. trough irons known under the name of Larssen irons, whlch are placed one beside the other in such manner that their webs or convex sides face alternately against the pin support and towards the outer side respectively. The gap formed between the pairs of irons is filled with fine coal cinders forming a packing. Such a packing is found quite suflicient in actual practice for tightening the closure. These irons or pins can be quickly and securely applied. The support for the foot ends of the irons in their weir bottom is obtained by means of a groove in the weir bottom, which is preferably of triangular form and arranged in a direction crosswise to the river or channel. Before the closure or look is applied, this groove may be easily cleaned and freed from gravel and sand. It may moreoverbe reinforced bymeans of an iron pile forming a stop or support for the pins and assisting to better transmit the water pressure acting upon the piles onto the foundation of the weir. As pinsupports, iron piles are preferable, especially piles of a socalled broad flanged I-section or H-section type. Instead ofone single iron beam however, a truss girdermay be applied as pin support.

In weir plants having a plurality of weir openings, it is frequently impossible to close all openings at the same time by means of emergency locks in the manner described above if disturbances areto be avoided. In this case according to the present invention it is accomplished in the following way:

The main or front opening is closed by means of a pin weir and behind this weir buoyant bodies are introduced to form a support for the pins of an emergency closure. These buoyant bodies consist of hollow bodies, which may be floated to the building place but are then filled with water, gravel, sand or stones and sunk in situ. The simplest expedient of course is to apply water as the loading means.- When newly building plants of this character .it is advisable to provide a stop or support in the weir-bottom, similar to that as: used for the pins of a simple emergency closure. Thereupon the space between the emergency closures and the buoyant bodies is pumped till it is empty. Obviously the trusses or pillars must be suitably constructed so as to be able to withstand the outer water pressure when floating, and the inner pressure when the'trench is formed between the two parts if the space is pumped empty. The buoyant or floatable bodies can be provided besides with struts withstanding the pressure of the pin supports and transferring it onto the weir bottom. The pin supports are preferably made so long that it will not makemuch difference whether a buoyant body is sunk in exactly correct place or somewhat to one or the other side. Besides, the pin supports may be interconnected so as to obtain a further increase of rigidity of the finished structure The supporting trusses for the pin supports are. arranged, if possible, near the upper end of m0 7 the pillars so that the needle supports can be applied above the water, even with elevated water level. If the strut frames are used to form the needle supports, then the struts of this framework should be arranged either horizontally or downwardly inclined.

By thelatter arrangement the tilting moment acting upon the supports is decreased. The

dimensions of the pillars are dependent on the depth of the water and the dimensions of the support pressures as well as the distance of the pillars.

It is possible to tilt the pillars as well into two or more parts and to place the parts one above the other, or. to 7 construct only the lower part as floating box and replace the upper by a trestle strut connected to the box in any suitable manner. I

The erection of an emergency closure of the character. described is donemost simply by bringing the pinsupport for the upper water closure and the pillars for the tail water closure in floating condition to the building place by means of tugs and to then sink the pillars by pumping water into them mean. Thereupon' the pins are inserted. When pumping the trench empty, the pin irons are at the same time tightened or packed by means of fine coal cinders. My invention may still further be improved by arranging the floating bodies or pillars in a polygonal or circular form behind the weir openingto be closed.

My inventionwill be more clearly under supports represented by b, the gap between each two irons being shown packed by means of coal Cinders.

Fig. 2 is a plan view on smaller scale of a weir opening, illustrating the application of the invention to close the same. In this and the last figure, the arrow indicates the direction of stream flow;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional elevation of the organization of Fig. 2, taken on the line 3-?) thereof; and

Fig.4 is a plan view similar to Fig. 2, illustrating a modified arrangement of the structure in a polygonal form of closure.

Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, the wall-forming iron pins or needles (1!, at the right side are shown leaned for support against the special supporting beam-member d, with their lower ends braced against water pressure at the weir bottom by means of U-shaped irons e forming a heel therefor as also a reinforcement of the concrete bottom of the structure. 7 a buoyant body capable of being floated to place and then sunk as before described into position to serve its purpose. Said position lies in this instance across the weir opening between the usual permanent pillars k ofthe weir, which are recessed at the sides as shown toreceive and support its ends at the-desired level when sunk.

Other supporting -beam-me1nbers f, g, h and 2' at the left side around the weir opening are in turn similarly supported by temporary pillar-structures such as Z and -m. Said structures like the member d tional form of the temporary pillars (Z and m) is represented in Fig. 3, showing the same reinforced by cross-struts s, which 'may be applied inany desired relation. When'sunk in place, they bear against a shoulder a formedin the weir bottom as when building it, whereas the wall-forming pins (a) leaned against the beam-members (f, g, h, 2') supported therebetween are braced at their lower ends against water pressure by the wall of a groove 0 in the weir bottom.

The severaliparts cl, 7, g, 72,, 2', land mbeing all formed as box-sectional bodies (.such as shown bycl and i in Fig. for flotation as aforesaid, are easily towedto place andquiokly sunk into position by loading. When occasion for the closure appliance to the weir has ended, they are quickly removed simply by pumping out to float again for. towage away.

It will be understood that these together form the frame structure for the pins (a) arranged end to end as shown to complete a walled space around the weir opening, from which the water may be pumped to afford access for inspection or repair, the gaps between joints of the pins being filled in with material such as coal cinders for effective packing. 1

The modification of Fig. 4 is essentially the same structurally, the only difference being that in this the closure is of polygonal instead of rectangular form, the floatable bodies Z and m being sunk to points describing a more circular wall behind the weir opening to be closed. This arrangement has the special advantage that the pressures placed upon the pin supports are more uniformly distributed. In the construction :ac-

cording to Fig. 4E moreover, the main pin support (2 1s utihzed to form a strut frame or Said beam-member is formed as truss by applying struts such as 29. between the bodies (Z and the pillars 7a.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what mannerthe same'is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is 1. The method of constructing emergency closures for weir openings, characterized by floating illar members to and sinking the same in upright positions spaced around the weir opening, floating truss-beam members to and sinking the same in positions of span between the pillar members with end sup ort therein, and arranging sheet piling mem ers side-by-side in leaning engagement against the sunk truss-beam members and with their lower ends resting on the bottom around the outer side of the frame structure formed by said pillar and trussbeam members.

2. The method of constructin emer 'enc closures for weir openings, which consists in sinking floatable pillar members in upright positions spaced around the weir opening and anchoring the same in said positions against dislodgement, sinking floatable trussbeam members in horizontal span between the upright pillar members with end rest support therein, and arranging sheet piling members side-by-side in leaning engagement against the horizontal truss-beam members and with their lower ends resting on the bottom around the outer side of the area enclosed by said pillar and truss-beam members.

3. The method of constructing emergency closures for weir openings, characterized by floating pillar members to and sinking the same in upright positions spaced around the weir opening, floating truss-beam members to and sinking the same in positions of span between the pillar members with end support thereon, and arranging sheet piling members side-by-side in leaning engagement against the sunk truss-beam members and with their lower ends resting on the bottom around the outer side of the area enclosed by said pillar and truss-beam members; and removing the closure again by first withdrawing the sheet piling members and then refloating the truss-beam and pillar members away.

4. The method of constructing emergency closures for weir openings, which consists in sinking fioatable pillar members in upright positions spaced around the weir opening and bracing the bottoms thereof in said positions against dislodgement,"sinking fioatable truss-beam members in horizontal span be tween the upright pillar members with end rest support thereon and without any interfastening, arranging said piling members side-by-side in leaning engagement against the horizontal truss-beam members and with their lower ends resting on the bottom around the outer side of the area enclosed by said pillar and truss-beam members, and filling the spaces between adjacent or interengaged piling members with a packing material.

5. The method of constructing emergency closuresforweir openings, which consists in sinking floatable pillar. members in upright positions spaced around the weir opening and bracing the bottoms thereof in said positions against dislodgement, sinkingfloatable truss-beam members in horizontal span between the upright pillar members with end rest support thereon and without any interfastening, arranging said piling members side-by-side in leaning engagement against the horizontal truss-beam members and with their'lower ends resting on the bottom around the outer side of the area enclosed by said pillara-nd truss-beam members, and filling the spaces between adjacent or interengaged piling members with a packing material, the closure being removable by first withdrawing the piling members and then-refloating andtowing the pillar and truss-beam mem" bers away.

6. An emergency closure for weir openings, comprising a wall-frame structure formed by floatabl'e pillar members sunk into upright positions spaced around the weir opening, floatable truss-beam members sunk into positions of span between the pillar members with end rest support there1n,

and sheet piling members arranged side-byside in leaning engagement against the spanning truss-members and with their lower ends restingupon the bottom around the outer side of the enclosed area.

7. An emergency closure for weir openings, comprising a Wall-frame structure formed byfloating pillar members sunk and braced in upright positions spacedv around the weir opening, floating truss-beam memberssunk into horizontal positions of span between the pillar members with end rest support thereon, and sheet piling members arranged side-by-side in leaning engagement against the truss-beam members and with,

their lower ends resting upon the bottom around the outer side of the enclosed area.

8; An emergency closure for weir openings, comprising a' wall-frame structure formed by hollow floating pillar members sunk and braced in upright positions spaced around the weir opening, hollow floating truss-beam members sunk into horizontal positions of span between the pillar members with end rest support on the upwardly eX- tended ends thereof, and sheet piling members arranged side-by-side in leaning engagementagainst the truss-beam members and with their lower ends resting upon the bottom around the outer side of? the area defined thereby; said pillar and truss-beam members being re-floatable for removal and disassembly of the closure.

9. An emergency closure for weir openings, comprising a wall-frame structure andsheet piling members arranged side-byformed by floatable pillar members sunkiand braced in upright positions spaced around the weir opening, floatable truss-beam members sunk into positions of span between the pillar'inembers with end rest supportrthereon and :without any Jinterfastening therewith,

side in leaning engagement against'thespanning. truss-beam members and with their lower ends resting upon the bottom of the weir around the outer side of the area definedr'thereby. V

, 10. An emergency closure for weir openings, comprising. a wall-frame; structure formed by hollow floating pillar members sunk and anchored in upright positions at points around the weir opening, hollow floating truss-beam members sunk into horizontal positionsof span between the pillar memberswith end rest supportin the'upwardly extended ends thereof but without any'interfasteningtherewith, sheet piling members arranged side-by-side in leaning engagement against the truss-beam members and with their lower ends resting upon the bottom around-the outer side of the enclosed area, and packing material inthe spaces between adjacent or .interengaged piling members; said pillarland truss-beam members being refioatable for disassembly and removal.

' 11;An emergency closure for weir openings, 'comprisingraplurality of temporary supporting pillars sunk :atspaced intervals around the weir opening, temporary trussbeam members sunk intspan between the pil lar-members and with end restthereon without other connection, vand sheet piling members arranged side-by-side in leaning'engageme-nt :against the truss-beam members and with their: lower ends resting on the bottom around the outer side of the area defined thereby; said pillar and truss-beam"members' embodying box-like structures =fl0atable to and'sinkable in position by weight filling,

'; and re-floata'b le and removable by withdrawrest support thereon, and-sheet piling mem bers arranged side-by-side in overlapping marginal relation and in lea-nlng engagement against the spanning truss-beam members with their lower'ends restingiuponthe bot In testimony. whereof I 'aifix my signature."

- GEORG- FRIEDEL;

Race 

